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Bonding to gas and water

i have a 6mm cable from the fuseboard going to my gas and water meter. Does this need upgrading?

Asked by: natalie_beazley
26th Jun 2011

8 Answers

Best Answer

If you want your earth up to date then yes get it done, that answer from ark installations is not correct if you have a earth rod then that should be 10mm, and all earthing does not have to be the same size, your main earth should be 16mm, your earth bonding 10mm and supplementary bonding 4mm.
If you get any electrical work done then you will need a earthing upgrade to certify work.

Hi, Do you have same size running to an earthing rod? If so then I believe that this is fine. If you have an earth terminal close to your meter and then from there to your consumer unit and water/gas service pipes then the cable size should be 10mm2. If unsure ask a competent rgistered person to have a quick look see.

If you were having any modifications to your installation ( new consumer unit or new circuit for example ) then the installer would upgrade your earthing and probably the mains tails for your consumer unit. In some properties it may be very difficult or even not practical to upgrade it ( for example if floors are laminated / tiled and no access is possible without severe disruption. In this case it would be possible to use a very complicated calculation ( called the adiabatic equation ) to justify the earth bonding being in 6 mm.
If it is relatively simple however to upgrade then it should be upgraded to 10mm.

Either way if any notifiable work were to be carried out the cables would be tested and noted accordingly.

Main Equipotential Earth Bonding is recommended at 10.00mm, though it's really about all extraneous parts being at the same potential and the resistance betwen parts. vis a vis disconnection timess etc. etc.